Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Legends surround pearls that pearls are the tears of mermaids, for example, or that a pearl possessed by royalty will destroy anyone else who comes to own it. Pearls are unique: they're the only gemstones that come from a living being and the only stones that require no cutting or polishing. Natural pearls are often priceless. In this eye-opening account of the theft of the most valuable necklace in history, Crosby incorporates pearl legends and facts as well as a great deal of history surrounding the hardships of pearl diving and the intricacies of pearl trading before WWI. The Mayer Pearls, named after the jewelry trader Max Mayer, who purchased them in 1912, were a strand of 61 pearls whose centerpiece was a large teardrop pearl purchased from Portuguese royalty. They were worth more than the Hope Diamond. Crosby takes us into the criminal empire of one Joseph Grizzard, details Grizzard's plan to intercept the necklace on its way from Paris to London, opens up the heist itself, and then elaborates on how Scotland Yard, led by brilliant and tenacious Inspector Alfred Ward, hunted down the criminals and brought them to trial. Crosby's thriller-style account is backed up by her intensive research of Metropolitan Police records in the National Archives in London, along with contemporary accounts. Crosby, who wrote the best-selling story of how yellow fever shaped U.S. history, The American Plague (2006), has crafted another compelling popular history.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Culled from archival research of newspaper accounts, Scotland Yard case files, and memoirs of noted thieves, Crosby (The American Plague) turns back the clock to a winning true crime tale involving two superior minds-a very capable detective and a wily gentleman criminal-in a jewel heist at the dawn of 20th-century England. Chief Insp. Alfred Ward, of the Detective Bureau of the Metropolitan Police, matched wits with Joseph Grizzard, "the King of Fences," and his motley band of London's East End thieves, over the celebrated pearl necklace, owned by London jeweler Max Mayer and valued at $18 million in today's dollars-the most valuable of its kind. In convincing detail Crosby gives us the background of the two combatants, the nuances of the scheme to steal the necklace, the tactical moves of the police and the rogues along the jewel-commerce route between London and Paris. As the culprits of the necklace heist were brought to justice in a highly publicized trial, the author highlights the case's major influence on British crime detection and the legal system, adding a dash of color and realism to a largely forgotten chapter of Edwardian London. Justice is served with the usual Brit low-key smarts and cheeky moves. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Crosby (The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History) here recounts the brazen 1913 theft of a valuable pearl necklace by Joseph Grizzard, the "King of Fences." Reading less like the well-researched historical work it is and more like a fast-paced crime thriller, the story of the famed Mayer pearls (worth roughly $18 million in today's dollars), the hunt for the thieves by Scotland Yard's Inspector Alfred Ward and Frank Price of Lloyd's of London, and the subsequent trial and conviction of the elusive gang leader Grizzard and four of his accomplices by prosecutor Sir Richard Muir is set in brightly described local and historical detail. Crosby uses scores of contemporary and modern sources, police files, newspapers, and archival documents to set the scene. At times, it is difficult to distinguish the line between fact and supposition. As Crosby herself notes, there are no personal accounts of the heist itself, and she is attempting to re-create it. VERDICT The book is a gem of information about London's jewelry district, Hatton Garden, as well as the jewelry trade, England's criminal underground, and Scotland Yard's early detective force as well as a great story. Recommended for general readers, historical true-crime buffs, and readers of detective mysteries, especially of the British kind.-Amelia Osterud, Carroll Univ. Lib., Waukesha, WI (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A World War Iera true-crime tale about the theft of the world's most valuable necklace. Heist stories have an enduring fascination for the public, and Crosby (Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries, 2010, etc.) offers an exhaustively detailed reconstruction of one all but forgotten by history. The setting is the underworld of London's Hatton Garden jewelry district in the days before the war, and the object of desire is a pink pearl necklace worth around $750,000--by one estimate, nearly $20 million in today's currency. Criminal mastermind Joseph Grizzard, the "King of Fences," had his eye on the necklace, and he concocted a plan to intercept it as it traveled by mail between two dealers. Despite the colorful setting and cast of characters, the narrative is slowed by the author's efforts to explain every detail of life in London, giving it the feel of a history textbook at times. In the aftermath of the clever--though not particularly exciting--theft, the story picks up a bit of steam as the thieves attempt to cash in, with Scotland Yard and its ace detective, Inspector Alfred Ward, hot on the trail. Crosby leaves no aspect of the case unexamined, and the book will be extremely valuable as a reference material on 1913 London. But none of the characters truly come to life, and the necklace, beautiful and valuable though it may be, doesn't have the romance and mystery of the Hope Diamond or Star of India. Lacks the excitement of a truly thrilling heist caper, but offers an illuminating glimpse into England's criminal past.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
